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Bull Ring Shopping Centre

May 1964 to June 2000

The infamous Bull Ring Shopping Centre was built on the site of the historic Bull Ring markets. It was opened on May 29 1964 and had cost an estimated £8 million. The shopping centre covered 23 acres and had 350,000 sq ft of retail trade area. When opened it was considered the height of modernity, however it did not age well and soon became regarded as an unfortunate example of 1960s brutalist architecture, with its boxy grey concrete design and its isolation within ring roads connected only by an unpleasant maze of pedestrian subways. The public came to dislike it immensely and it soon declined, attracting only bargain retailers. Lack of maintenance had given the exterior of the centre an almost derelict feel by the 1980s. It was demolished in 2000 to make way for the current incarnation.

Over the years the centre was home to various gay bars including Tin Tins, Peacocks and gay nights at the Matador.The centre was also a popular Cruising area for gay men both day and night for much of its lifetime.